


only a girl (can make me feel this way)

by cupsofstardust



Category: Naruto
Genre: Alcohol, Angst with a Happy Ending, Break Up, Crying, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, F/F, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Light Angst, Love Confessions
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-12
Updated: 2019-07-12
Packaged: 2020-06-23 21:01:41
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,731
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19709365
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/cupsofstardust/pseuds/cupsofstardust
Summary: This routine is familiar; getting up at odd hours of the night to be Sakura's knight in shining armor.Except usually, in fairytales, the knight in shining armor actuallygets the girlat the end.Ino never gets the girl.





	only a girl (can make me feel this way)

Ino wakes up to the sound of her phone vibrating.

She rubs her eyes, blinking at the caller ID for a solid ten seconds before realizing that it's Sakura who's calling her. She accepts the call, lifting the phone to her ear.

"Hello?" she says, her voice thick with sleep. There's no reply, just what sounds like heavy breathing. "Sakura? You there?"

For a wild moment, she entertains the idea that Sakura's been kidnapped and she's supposed to provide a ransom. She dismisses that quickly, though, when Sakura's voice comes through the phone.

"Ino," she says, sniffling.

Wait—sniffling?

"What's wrong?" Ino asks, sitting up and kicking the covers away. "Where are you? Sakura? Are you okay?"

Sakura's still sniffling into the phone, her sobs very obviously muffled.

"Sakura, what's going on? Can you answer me? Should I come pick you up? Where are you?"

Distantly, she's aware that she's rambling, but she can't bring herself to care. Sakura's _crying,_ that's reason enough to worry.

"I'm—I'm at—" She stops suddenly, sniffling. "I don't know, somewhere near Sasuke's—"

Ino barely resists the urge to groan. Sakura's been dating Sasuke for the past two years, but in all of that time, Ino has never gotten the sense that Sasuke actually likes her. 

It's been the center of pretty much every argument she's had with Sakura since they started dating. Ino thinks Sakura deserves better—of course, because Sakura's _amazing_ —and Sakura thinks Sasuke is the best she can do, which is so totally _wrong._

She stands up, sleepily stumbling around in the dark for her dresser. She finds some clothes and, uncaring as to whether or not they match, throws them on. 

"I'm coming to pick you up," Ino says on a sigh. "I'll be there soon, stay on the phone and talk to me, okay? It's gonna be alright."

Ino is no stranger to comforting a heartbroken Sakura; even now, there's a tub of her favorite ice cream in the freezer and a bottle of wine on the counter.

She tugs her shoes on, locks the door behind her, and gets into her car. This routine is familiar; getting up at odd hours of the night to be Sakura's knight in shining armor. 

Except usually, in fairytales, the knight in shining armor actually _gets the girl_ at the end.

Ino never gets the girl.

And she won't lie, she's bitter about it. But there's nothing she can do. Sakura is very straight, and _very_ into Sasuke.

It's not her fault that Ino is just about the biggest lesbian, or that she's so goddamn appealing in every single way. That won't stop Ino from blaming this unrequited crush on her though. 

"You still there?" she asks, securing her seatbelt and checking the mirrors before pulling out.

"Y-yeah," Sakura replies after a second. "I'm on the sidewalk, just—just sitting and waiting. Please hurry."

The way she says it, so soft and sad, makes Ino's heart clench even as her blood boils. God, she's going to _kill_ Sasuke when she next sees him.

"I'll be there soon, I promise," Ino says. "Why don't you tell me what happened?"

Sakura doesn't reply.

"...Sakura?"

"Sorry, I just—I can't—I can't say it here, I need—take me home?"

Ino's heart breaks. Her voice is so small and weak—she would almost call it pathetic, if it were coming from someone else.

"Yeah, okay, just—just hold on, Sakura, I'll be there in five minutes, okay?" Ino taps the speaker button, then puts her phone in the cupholder. "I'm still here, you're on speaker."

Sakura's breathing evens out on the other end—good, she's calming down. As infatuated as Ino is, she doesn't think she's prepared to deal with a hysterical Sakura at 2 AM. 

Her voice comes through the receiver. "I'm tired," she mutters, sounding defeated. Somehow, it's worse than the crying.

"I know, babe, I know," Ino murmurs, "I'm coming. You can spend the night at my place, I have your ice cream and wine and you can relax and tell me all about it, yeah?"

"That sounds nice," Sakura breathes.

Goosebumps rise on Ino's arms just listening to her. She says nothing in response, for fear of saying the only thing on her mind. She drives in silence, turning onto Sasuke's street and slowing considerably. She scans the sidewalk for a head of pink hair. 

Sakura's about a block away, hugging her knees to her chest and staring at the street blankly. As Ino's car rolls closer, she blinks, then looks up at it, a tiny, apologetic smile on her face. She stands up, wipes her hands on her thighs. 

Ino gets out of the car before she can get in and pulls her into a tight hug, her nose pressed against her temple. Sakura's hands shake where they rest on her back. 

"Hey babe," Ino murmurs, rubbing her hand over Sakura's arm. "You okay?"

Sakura sighs into her shoulder. "No," she replies, her voice muffled.

"Yeah. Come on, let's get you in the car." She releases Sakura, pushes her hair behind her ear, then turns back to her open door.

Sakura goes around to the passenger side, flopping into her seat and slumping down. She tugs her belt on as Ino does the same.

She slowly pulls away from the curb, watching Sakura in her periphery. Her hands rest on her lap, one thumb rubbing the other. She's staring at them intently but Ino has a feeling she's not really there.

"So," she starts quietly. Without moving her head, Sakura glances at her. Ino meets her gaze for a second. "You wanna... tell me about it?"

Sakura exhales shakily, then shakes her head slowly. "I'll tell you, just—not right now."

Ino nods, directing her attention to the road. The rest of the ride passes in relative silence, Sakura turning the radio on just to provide some distracting background noise.

It feels like she should say _something_ —the only girl she's ever loved is sitting in the passenger seat of her car after having a fight with her douchebag boyfriend and Ino can't do _anything._

It kills her. 

When she pulls into a parking spot in front of her apartment complex, Sakura removes her seatbelt and leaves the car like she can't get inside fast enough. Ino follows her into the lobby and down the hall to her apartment. 

Sakura leans against the wall while Ino unlocks the door. Ino ushers her inside, placing a gentle hand on her lower back. 

After the door closes behind her, she immediately heads for the freezer, Sakura trailing behind her like a puppy that's been kicked one too many times.

She busies herself making two bowls of ice cream, making sure to pour a generous amount of chocolate sauce on Sakura's—just how she knows she likes it. She gestures wordlessly to the bottle of wine in the corner of the counter, sucking chocolate sauce off her thumb. 

Sakura shuffles over and twists it open, taking two glasses down from the cupboard and filling them halfway. 

Ino slides her bowl across the counter to her, taking one of the glasses and heading into the living room, where she settles on the couch and sips her drink patiently, watching Sakura sit down next to her.

She says nothing, waits for Sakura to speak first; nights like this always follow the same formula. 

Sakura takes one bite of ice cream, pushes it around the bowl quietly, then opens her mouth and says:

"I don't love him."

Ino nearly chokes on her drink. "What?"

Her eyes fill with tears as they stare down into a rapidly melting bowl of ice cream. 

"I told him—I told Sasuke that I didn't—that I _don't_ —" She drops her spoon, wine glass shaking in her hand when she raises it to her lips. 

Ino stares at her, dumbfounded. "—That you don't love him," she finishes quietly. "What, um..." She turns her face to her bowl, no longer hungry all of a sudden. "What happened, to make you—"

Sakura shakes her head. "It—because it's true?"

"Is there—like, I mean—is there someone else?" Ino tries, tamping down the flutter of hope in her chest.

She lifts her head to look at her, a strange expression on her face. Ino's stomach flips. 

"I..." Sakura pauses. "Maybe? I think so... I just—I'm confused." She looks at her near-empty glass, swirls the remaining wine, then gets up. "I need more."

She disappears into the kitchen, leaving Ino to listen to the sloshing of wine over the racing of her own heart. Sakura's never—she's never mentioned being interested in someone else.

When Sakura returns, her glass is filled almost to the top. She's sipping it before she even sits, her lips tinted red. 

"I thought I did," she says after a while. "I thought—like, I thought he was _the one,_ you know? But I was thinking about it today, _really_ thinking about it. Well, not just today, it's been—it's been a while." She looks up at Ino, who just nods quietly to encourage her to continue. "Because you said—so many times, it's almost funny—" She snorts mirthlessly. "It's almost funny how _right_ you were."

She shifts in her seat, crossing her legs and leaning her head back. Ino moves closer, placing a gentle hand on her knee.

Sakura's hand covers hers, but when Ino looks up at her to gauge her expression she finds Sakura won't meet her gaze.

"I realized," she continues, "that he was—you always said he seemed less interested in me than I was in him, and—" She lifts a shoulder in a half-hearted shrug. "It was true. You were right. But the reverse was also true. Neither of us were interested, the only difference was that I _wanted_ to be."

Ino squeezes her hand, a short pulse. "Did—when you told him, did he get upset?" she asks gently.

Sakura looks up at her, a sour smile on her face. "No. He didn't. He just nodded, like—like he was saying _'Good for you, you finally figured it out.'"_

Ino scrunches her nose. "Really?" That's not what she was expecting. 

"Yeah, and then I—well, I got upset, because that just _proved_ it, you know? That he really wasn't interested, but it also—like, it just told me that he wasn't interested, but also that he'd been thinking that _I_ wasn't interested, and I guess..." She trails off, her voice growing quieter. "I guess it upset me that he didn't tell me sooner."

Ino stays quiet; she doesn't know what to say. She always hoped that Sakura would break up with Sasuke, but this... This isn't how she imagined it going.

"Ino?" Sakura murmurs. "Did—" She cuts herself off.

Ino's heart thuds in her chest. It takes two tries to speak. "What?"

She stares at her hands, cupped around a bowl of completely melted ice cream. In a voice barely above a whisper, she asks, "Did you know?"

When Ino doesn't respond, she continues.

"Did you know that I didn't love him?"

She shakes her head slowly. "No. I didn't know, but I—I hoped you would... break it off."

Sakura nods like she's mulling that over, digesting it. "Well," she mumbles. "Congrats. You win, Ino."

Ino's brows knit in confusion. "I 'win'? Nothing about this screams victory, Sakura. If anything, _you_ win, because now you're out of a mutually unrewarding relationship. You can find someone _better,_ someone that makes you happy..."

As she's talking, a melancholic sorrow is burrowing itself into her bones. All the things she's saying—she wants to be all of that and more for Sakura. 

Sakura pokes her spoon into her ice cream. "Sure, I guess, but how long is that going to take? I spent so long with Sasuke, you know, I just—I don't know if I can find someone else. I don't know if I remember how."

Ino's silent for a moment. "Didn't you say earlier that you thought you might like someone? What's that all about?" She tries to sound interested even though she feels her heart crack when Sakura's lips lift into a small smile.

"Yeah," she replies. "I don't know, though, it's—it's complicated."

Ino shrugs a shoulder. "Then don't make it complicated. Tell me about him."

Sakura hesitates, then starts in a slow voice. "Well... I've known them for a long time, pretty much my whole life. I—it's kind of sad to say this, but I never really looked at them as an option before, you know? I was so caught up in Sasuke—" She laughs at herself. "I didn't even notice this amazing person right next to me. It was only recently that I—" 

She stops, glances up at Ino, searches her face for something she obviously doesn't find—judging by the way her face falls a little—then continues.

"I started feeling... _different_ about them."

It's now that Ino realizes Sakura's using neutral pronouns, which could mean a number of things but the glaringly obvious one is that she doesn't want Ino to know. She tells Ino _everything,_ why is this different?

"I guess, like, they also helped me realize that I wasn't in love with Sasuke, since I'm obviously pretty much head-over-heels for this other person."

Ino absently stirs her melting ice cream, thinking hard. Someone Sakura's known her whole life, ignored in her pursuit of Sasuke, helped her realize she doesn't love Sasuke... It could literally be anyone, except maybe Sai. Even though he's the one of the only ones who goes by non-binary pronouns, Sakura is definitely not interested in a person who called her ugly upon meeting her.

She entertains the idea that it's Lee, but dismisses it almost immediately; Rock Lee is too hard to ignore. 

That leaves Hinata and Kiba (Ino's pretty sure they're into each other), Neji (no way in hell would Sakura date him), Shino (ew—not him as a person, just the bugs), Tenten (also non-binary, a likely contender), and Naruto.

And since Sakura doesn't know Tenten that well, that eliminates them from the final round.

Ding ding ding! Naruto's the winner!

"Oh," Ino says softly. "I think I know who it is."

Sakura starts, a flush rising on her face. "Oh, uh, you do? I mean, well, heh—I, um... I don't really know where to go from here." She scratches her cheek with a finger awkwardly.

Ino spoons some ice cream into her mouth, hoping it'll fill the rapidly expanding hole where her heart should be. "Yeah, don't worry, I won't tell him."

Sakura freezes, hand dropping from her face to her lap. Ino looks at her, spoon in her mouth, and raises an eyebrow. Her eyes are wide, mouth parted in a near-perfect O. 

_"'Him'?"_ she repeats numbly.

Ino opens her mouth but it takes two tries for her to say, "What?"

"You said— _'him,'"_ Sakura stammers. "Who do you—"

"It's not Naruto?" Ino asks, face heating.

 _"Naruto?!_ No, it's not—God, Ino, of course it's not Naruto, I—he's like a brother to me, that's—" Sakura's face reddens as she trips over her explanation. It's like her words are falling down the stairs.

Ino splutters. "If it's not Naruto, then who! Tenten?"

"No! It's not—"

"Lee?"

_"No!"_

"Then I don't—You're sure it's not Naruto?"

"Yes, Ino, I'm _positive_ it's not Naruto." Sakura sighs exasperatedly, then laughs quietly. "You really thought I had a crush on Naruto."

Ino cracks a grin. "You were being vague! How am I supposed to know? When I said I knew who it was, you looked like you saw a ghost. It's fine if you don't want me to know, I'll stop guessing."

"No, it's just—" Sakura stares at her hands, rubbing one thumb over the other. "I don't want you to think differently of me."

"Sakura," Ino says, putting a hand over hers. "I won't think any differently of you. I promise."

She shakes her head, a small, rueful smile on her face. "That's nice of you to say, but—"

"Sakura."

She looks up, searching Ino's eyes. She looks almost _scared,_ and Ino regrets prying. 

She backtracks. "You don't have to—"

"It's you."

Ino's lungs stop breathing. Her heart stops beating. The Earth stops turning. 

"What?" she whispers.

She must look like she's about to pass out because Sakura asks, "Are you okay? Please don't—don't freak out, God, I shouldn't have said anything, I'm sor—"

Ino puts her hand over Sakura's mouth, staring at her. "Don't apologize. Don't, Sakura."

Sakura nods, confused.

She drops her hand from her mouth, swallowing nervously.

"You like me?" Ino asks quietly. 

Sakura nods again. "Yeah. Is that... Is that okay? Do you still want to be friends with me?"

A laugh bubbles its way out of Ino's chest. "No!" she cries.

Sakura's face falls. 

"No, I don't want to be your friend," she continues. "Your girlfriend, on the other hand—"

A flurry of emotions pass over Sakura's face. She finally lands on shock, her cheeks bright pink.

"Wh—I mean... You—you like me too?" she squeaks. 

Ino laughs again. "Only for the past _five years,_ fuck, Sakura."

Sakura swallows. "Five years." 

Ino nods. "Yeah."

_"Five years."_

"That's what I said."

 _"Five years!"_ Sakura jumps out of her seat and whacks Ino's arm. "Why didn't you _tell me!"_

"Ow!" Ino cries, rubbing her arm defensively. "When would I have told you, Sakura, you've been obsessed with Sasuke forever! There was never a good time."

She flushes, her fists clenching. "Yeah, but still—you should've told me!"

Ino stands now, facing her. "What, so I could ruin our friendship? You were afraid of doing the same thing like, ten minutes ago!"

"God," Sakura breathes. "We're so dumb."

 _"You_ are, I'm not," Ino corrects her. "I mean, seriously, didn't you notice the fact that I was calling you babe for about three years straight?"

"That's not fair!" Sakura protests. "I thought it was just, like—like a fond nickname. I don't know—"

"A fond nickname!" Ino laughs louder. "Sakura, sweetheart, I was being _gay."_

"How was I supposed to know!"

Ino just laughs. _"God."_

Sakura looks nervous, her hands clasped in front of her. Ino eyes her with a raised brow, but she doesn't say anything.

"So—" she starts.

"If you're about to ask me out," Ino interrupts, looking at her seriously, "you don't have to. The answer is unequivocally yes."

Her eyes widen. "Really?"

"Duh." Ino rolls her eyes. "I've liked you since we were 17, of course I want to date you."

The sun couldn't hold a candle to Sakura's smile.

Ino's chest constricts. "Don't look at me like that."

Her face falls a little. "Why not?"

Ino swallows. "Because it's very late and I really like you and having you smile at me like I hung the fucking moon is going to make me do something stupid."

Sakura raises an eyebrow, a corner of her mouth quirking up. Ino's eyes track the movement immediately and her face grows hot.

"What kind of something?" she asks, her smirk transforming into a full-blown grin. 

"Sakura," Ino says warningly. "It's late, and you're intoxicated, and we should just—just go to bed."

Her grin turns into a pout, but she nods her agreement quietly. "You're probably right," she says. "But—"

"Go get ready for bed," Ino interrupts, standing and starting to collect the dishes. "Shower, brush your teeth, whatever you have to do. Grab some pajamas from my room."

Sakura disappears into the bedroom, obeying her orders much more easily than she normally would have. Ino washes the dishes quickly, puts them away. 

When she enters her room, she can hear the shower running on the other side of the wall, Sakura's quiet singing muffled but sweet. She smiles to herself as she changes back into her pajamas and crawls into bed.

She's shared a bed with Sakura before—of course she has; they're best friends—but when Sakura comes in, hair still wet from her shower, Ino's heart starts racing.

Her soft, sleepy smile, hair pushed out of her face, Ino's clothes hugging her curves—somehow, Ino feels like it's something she doesn't deserve to see. 

Sakura turns down the covers and settles next to her, hair splayed out on the pillow. She turns to look at Ino, who's already looking back at her.

"Hi," she whispers through a smile.

"Hey," Ino whispers back, mesmerized.

Sakura seems to struggle with herself, then parts her lips and says, "I know you said—nothing would happen, but—"

Ino's heart flutters against her ribs, seeking escape.

"What about like a—" She pauses, warring with herself again. "Like, just a goodnight kiss? Would that be—"

Her heart jumps into her throat. She swallows around it. Though she doesn't want to ruin this, she makes herself say, "I'm a girl, Sakura. It won't be the same as it was with—with Sasuke. I need you to be sure that you—like, _really_ want this."

Sakura props herself up on an elbow, inching closer to Ino. "Who says I want it to be the same?" she whispers, searching her eyes.

Ino's heart stutters in her chest, but she sits up and clenches her fists in the blanket nervously. 

"I mean," she murmurs, looking back at her. "I don't see a problem if it's just... _one_ kiss."

Her breath hitches when Sakura smiles and leans up, a hand slipping into her hair. She's centimeters away, her breath puffing on Ino's mouth, when Ino stops her. 

"Are you _really_ sure?" she asks one more time, the blood rushing in her ears.

Sakura rolls her eyes and, without answering, closes the distance between them. Ino's eyes flutter shut, her fingers wrapping around Sakura's wrist.

The kiss is short and sweet, still tasting faintly of chocolate and wine, but mostly of minty toothpaste. Despite the chasteness of it all, it leaves Ino flustered and breathless.

"Goodnight Ino," Sakura murmurs, smiling softly as she rolls over and tugs the blanket up. 

Ino hums in response, still a little dazed. She falls back against her pillow and smiles to herself.

Of all the directions she imagined tonight taking, this is the last place she thought she'd end up. 

She wouldn't trade it for the world.

**Author's Note:**

> title from only a girl by gia woods! please leave a comment or kudos if you enjoyed, they keep me motivated :D you can also find me on twitter (@uzumakiverse). thank you!


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